UW-Stout News Story

Student group to hold Hmong New Year celebration

Live music and a fashion show will be part of the Hmong New Year celebration Saturday, Dec. 10, at University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The Hmong Stout Student Organization is sponsoring the fifth annual event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room of Johnson Fieldhouse.

Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen will have opening remarks at 10 a.m., followed by comments from Wachor Lor, a Hmong elder from Menomonie.

A Hmong band, playing traditional music, will perform from 1:40-2:10 p.m. A fashion show, featuring traditional clothing, will be from 3-3:15 p.m.

Admission is $3. There is no charge for UW-Stout students, children 5 and younger and those 65 and older.

Hmong New Year celebrations are linked to personal renewal and thanks for blessings during the past year.

“We want to promote Hmong culture to the community, especially people who are not Hmong, to help them learn about our people and history,” said See Lee, of the Hmong Stout Student Organization, one of the largest minority groups on campus with 55 members.

Lee, a junior from Wausau, is majoring in art with a graphic design concentration.

The celebration also will include two keynote speakers, beginning at 11:25 a.m., food and product vendors, traditional dancers, a volleyball tournament and a ball tossing area.

Ball tossing is a Hmong social activity used to meet other people. If someone drops a ball tossed to them, they must give a gift to that person.